title: mister cellophane
summary: there is nothing especially remarkable about isaac lahey (until suddenly there is)
notes1: for the most part this is pre-season 1
+uno+
The first thing that Artemis Lane notices about Isaac Lahey is that she doesn't notice him at all. He doesn't stand out—the type of person to be easily lost in a crowd, Artemis thinks. He slouches when he walks, sits slightly hunched over in his seat like he wants to curl into himself—like he's trying his damned hardest to not be noticed. He isn't very social and the only time she ever really hears him speak is when he's called on in class and even then his voice is a quiet mumble.
So, it's sort of a surprise when his name comes up in conversation between Artemis and Christie as they (as in Christie, mostly) discuss potential boyfriends during lunch in the cafeteria.
"What do you think about Isaac Lahey?" Christie asks and the name sort of sounds familiar. Artemis follows her friend's gaze to the corner of the lunchroom where he sits at a table alone.
"I don't," is the thoughtless reply that comes out of her mouth and Christie nods in an 'oh well' sort of way and moves on with her list of boys.
Artemis stops paying attention though because now she can't stop wondering about the lonely boy in the corner.
(and suddenly, now, he isn't so unnoticeable)
+deux+
He's on the lacrosse team and the only reason she knows this is because Christie drags her out to the game that Friday night. Artemis doesn't even particularly like lacrosse (and neither does Christie really, she's only here because, like so many, she's lusting after Jackson Whittemore—Jackson Whittemore who is dating Lydia Martin and who, the both of them know, Christie does not have a shot in hell with but she likes to try anyway) but it's Friday night in Beacon Hills and when there's a lacrosse game everyone goes.
They sit at the top of the bleachers; Christie cheers loudly and Artemis shivers from the cold and thinks about going home.
"Woo! Go Jackson!" Christie yells along with the rest of the crowd and Artemis rolls her eyes. They land on Isaac—or, well, the back of Isaac. 'LAHEY 14' is emblazoned in bold white letters against the maroon of his jersey. He's on the bench with guys like Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski instead of on the field and she wonders if that's the reason she's never noticed him on the team before.
(she keeps her fingers crossed as she watches the game and silently hopes, in the back of her mind, that one of their players can get hurt just a little so that isaac can maybe play? it's a horrible thing to hope for and she's aware of that and she doesn't know why she does it except that she thinks maybe isaac deserves a chance to be seen)
+trίa+
They end up being partners for a mini project in World History because she's Lane and he's Lahey and Mr. Johnson is obsessed with alphabetical order.
"I'll write up the paper and we can do the powerpoint together?" she offers as she slides into the seat next to him. He looks up at her and raises his eyebrows.
"Uh..."
"Oh! Right, I'm Artemis. Hi," she says. He moves his books over so she can put her stuff there.
"Isaac," he says and she smiles as she settles down.
"I know."
"Oh," he says like he's surprised.
+shi+
The second thing that she notices about him are his eyes. They are a bright clear blue and sometimes they look green as if they can't settle on just one color. They remind her of the pieces of broken sea glass she would find on the beach as a little girl.
She decides that she likes them very much.
(but then he laughs at a very lame history pun that she makes and Artemis decides that his smile is much better)
+quinque+
Sometimes Isaac doesn't show up to school for days at a time and Artemis can't stop staring at his empty seat.
Sometimes he comes back with a fading black eye.
Lacrosse, he claims whenever anyone asks and she has this feeling that something isn't right.
+zes+
Artemis takes it upon herself to go to Isaac's house to give him all the notes and homework he's missed in class because she hasn't seen him in about three days. She figures that they can work on their history project while she's here because the due date is nearing and he hasn't been replying to her emails (she doesn't care if he is sick with the flu, they have to get this thing done).
She gets to his house and halfway up the walkway she hears angry shouting and then there is the very distinct sound of shattering glass. Her heart leaps to her throat and she all but runs to the front door.
"Isaac?" she says worriedly, frantically knocking on the door and when it sounds like the yelling is getting louder and there is a very loud crash, she screams, "ISAAC!" Everything goes silent and Artemis waits. The door opens slowly.
"What are you doing here?" he asks then clears his throat. He doesn't look at her.
"Isaac are you okay?" she asks trying to look at his face. He nods. She glances at the bruise on his left cheek and thinks that she would beg to differ.
"Artemis—"
"I came to give you the notes and homework," she says too quickly, reaching into the bag to give him the handouts. Her hands are shaking, she doesn't know from what and she hopes he doesn't notice. She continues on, "And maybe talk about our history project but this is obviously not the time for that—"
"Thanks for the notes," he says, interrupting, "Sorry, I can't really talk right now." He makes to close the door but she puts her hand on the doorknob to stop him.
"Isaac—" she starts and then lowers her voice, "do you...do you need a place to stay? For tonight at least. I mean if you want." He pauses and looks like he's considering her words but doesn't exactly know what to say.
"I—no. I mean, I'm fine. Thanks."
The sound of footsteps nearing is audible to the both of them.
"You should leave now," he says quickly and she moves her hand away from the door.
"But I—"
"Please," his eyes are downcast, "just go."
She hesitates for just a moment before turning around and making her way back down the walkway. The soft click of the door closing makes her feel sick to her stomach.
+sieban+
He doesn't expect to see her in front of his locker the next morning. He sighs and stares up at the ceiling so he doesn't have to look her in the eye.
"Please don't look at me like that," he says and chances a glance at her. She's still looking at him like she's going to burst into tears soon and Isaac really doesn't think he can deal with this right now.
"We have to talk about yesterday," she says.
"I don't really want to."
"You'll have to, someday."
"I know."
"Because someone else will notice," she tells him. They won't, he thinks and sets his lips in a thin line.
"They haven't yet," he says instead and that's the end of that conversation. Except Artemis isn't really the type to let things go so easily.
("i'll wait," she whispers to him in world history later that day, "but if you don't say anything, i will. i promise." isaac doesn't quite know how to respond to this)
+otte+
His dad dies and Isaac changes.
She has no idea if it's a cause and effect type of thing but now Isaac is confident, more social, better at lacrosse, and suddenly has an affinity for leather jackets. Artemis is kind of proud of him, really she is, it's just that he doesn't really talk to her anymore and she's got this feeling he's hiding something very important.
+nine+
Once, Artemis swears that she sees his impossibly blue eyes flash a brilliant topaz.
No one else notices, of course.
She doesn't know what it's supposed to mean.
endnotes:
-the bolded words are just the numbers 1-8 in different languages. why? idk
-i might make this part of a series or will at least make a multichaptered fic about Isaac and Artemis because I want to write more about her character and possible relationship with Isaac. so.